A Chance of Change
by Exhilaration
Summary: When Teddy and James find themselves back in time they must decide if changing the future is beneficial or if their existence in the past will cause more harm than good. Set in GoF
1. Chapter 1

Hello! This is something new I am starting that I hope you enjoy. I have taken a few liberties and made some changes, such as the age gap between Teddy Lupin and James Sirius, and the relationship between Teddy and Harry.

Only one thing could get Teddy Lupin-Potter: Prefect, Head Boy, and Hufflepuff leader and all around nice person riled up, and that was his brother James. Today's annoyance was at the fact that James had taken his textbook for DADA and all of his class notes, and had put them who knows where. Students snickered and jumped out of the way as Teddy chased James through the hallways at Hogwarts, hollering after him.

"Come back here you bloody idiot," Teddy called, almost out of breath. "I need that, you know!" The dark ginger haired boy laughed before turning a corner and charging into a dusty and unused classroom, Teddy on his heels.

"Calm down," spoke James, quickly losing all of his earlier humor and excitement. "I really need to talk to you and show you something, and this was the easiest way to get you in here." Teddy nodded, srill a little angry but willing to hear James out. James shut the door behind them, and they stood in silence for a few seconds in the dark and musty classroom.

"You know I've been exploring the castle for a while now, right?"At Teddy's nod, he continued. "I just came across this classroom, seemingly still intact since before the end of the second war - see, you can see here where a curse flew in and hit a cabinet, and it hasn't been repaired." For the first time since arriving Teddy glanced around the room and saw a cabinet with a giant hole in the door, the remains of old posters hanging on the wall and scattered belongings still resting on the desk at the front of the classroom. It looked like the last teacher hadn't even come back to pick up their stuff before leaving. James drew his attention back quickly, leaving no time for Teddy to comprehend what that might have meant.

"The thing is, this classroom is… weird. If you get close you can read the posters and they say simply awful things, like that muggleborns should be murdered and that the Dark Arts are to be practiced on everyone who is disobedient. And, I think, there might be bloodstains on the ground." James started speaking faster, listing all that was wrong about the classroom, while Teddy took a closer look of the old classroom. He wiped the gathered dust off of the nameplate on the desk and gasped

"Quiet" he said sharply to James,who was still rambling. "Look at this. This is Amycus Carrow's desk." Teddy turned to look at James, his face hard. "Do you know what this means?"

"Wasn't that the name of some death eater?"

"Yes," Teddy responded seriously. "The death eater who taught at Hogwarts before the end of the war. The one who taught the dark arts and tortured kids. We need to leave here now, and talk to Headmistress McGonagall or something. Who knows what dangerous things could be in this room. How did you get in it anyways?"

James blushed and mumbled something about the Marauder's map, causing Teddy to sigh. "You know that even though Hogwarts was cleaned and repaired that there were still some areas that they had to leave, ones that were either in too bad repair or had too many curses to remove. Even Dad said to stay out of doors that cannot be opened with alohomora, and you know he quietly supports your exploring"

James nodded and went to leave, and bumped into Teddy in his hurry to depart from the creepy classroom. Not expecting it, Teddy banged into the cursed cabinet at the side of the classroom, knocking over one of the boxes inside.

"You okay?" James asked. "Fine," Teddy replied. "Just got some stuff on my shirt. James went to brush it off, picking up some pieces of sand from Teddy's shoulder. "I wonder what this is." Teddy took one glance at the sand and his face paled. He looked into the box he had knocked over and saw a broken hourglass on a fancy chain sitting inside. "Oh no," he muttered before he and James, still connected, felt the space around them begin to spin. His last coherent thought was that he never actually got his notes back.

Harry sighed as he sat through another of Professor Moody's lectures on the unforgivables. As shocking as it was to first learn about the subject, this was now the fourth lecture on the topic, and it was still only September. He looked next to him at Ron, who had started to doodle, obviously not focused. For a teacher who was reputed to be mad, Moody seemed a little boring at times. Refocusing his attention to the teacher, he wondered how much longer he would have to listen to him.

Not long apparently. For suddenly the room began to spin and out of the dizziness appeared two boys, not two feet from where Harry sat. One looked to be unconscious and was held up by the second, older looking boy. The spinning stopped and the awake boy glanced around the classroom, obviously confused and shaken. Moody paused his lecture and for once looked shocked himself. He scowled.

"Where did you two come from," he spoke angrily, stalking across the classroom, the students not sure who to be more frightened of. The older boy was slowly going white as he gripped the smaller boy. "I'm not quite sure I can explain that to you," said the stranger carefully. "May I talk to whoever is headmaster here?" He began to wobble, and shortly after completing his statement fell over himself in a faint. Pandemonium broke out among the students, all speculating over what had occurred. Hermione was heard perplexing over their unusual entry and Dean predicting what kind monsters these "kids" really were. Harry himself just put his head in his hand and deeply regretted wishing for a more exciting class.

Thank You for reading! Next part coming sometime.

Feel free to Review!


	2. Chapter 2

James woke up blearily, glancing around to figure out where he was. He didn't remember falling asleep, but since he appeared to be in the hospital wing James figured that wasn't surprising. He looked at the bed next to him and saw Teddy, who was just beginning to stir. Now that was confusing in itself; Teddy never got too injured. He recalled the events he last remembered, showing Teddy the room he found, him falling into a cabinet, and nothing else. What happened?

Seeing that Teddy was awake now, James leaned over the size of his bed and whispered to him. "Teddy, Teddy! Listen" Teddy glanced over at James and seemed to notice where they were. James continued. "Do you know what happened?"

Teddy thought for a moment then responded. "Do you remember that after I fell on the cabinet there was this sand all over my clothes?" At James's nod he continued. "That was time turner dust. I saw one broken on the floor, and it must have been in the box I knocked down. The sand sent us somewhere in time, James, and I'm not sure where. I managed to stay conscious until we arrived, but all I remember seeing is a classroom and a weird looking man coming at me before I fainted."

Throughout Teddy's explanation, James's head started spinning. "So you mean we are not in 2015 anymore? And we have no idea when it may be? Oh gosh, what have we done." He shook his head. "Mum and Dad are going to freak when they find out." A realization struck James and shocked him to the core. "But… will they find out? Can we even go back or are we stuck wherever we are now for good?"

Teddy got up from his bed and went to sit next to James. "Calm down. I have no idea, but I'm sure we'll figure this out eventually. Let's look at this logically. We know we are still at Hogwarts, and we moved from a classroom to the hospital wing, so people know we are here. I'm sure someone will help us. And, once we figure out who's headmaster right now, we will have some idea what is happening."

"Hey, you were awake when we first arrived," pondered James, beginning to feel less anxious. "Could you see anything about the students or the classroom that would give us some idea on what year it might be.

Teddy shook his head discouraged. "Everything's a blur. I know there are students, but I didn't get a close enough look at any of them. The student closest to me when we appeared had black hair, but I doubt that's useful. And, I think the teacher is missing a body part, but I can't remember which."

James quickly realized another thing he hadn't even thought of. "Are we even allowed to tell anyone whether we have time traveled? Should we keep it a secret and try to do things ourselves?"

"I don't think that's even possible James. I mean, look at us. We know nothing about time travel except for what Aunt Hermione told us about her use of it. And all she said was to not run into your past self, which I don't know even applies to this situation. She only went back a few hours at a time as well."

"Well let's hope this headmaster or headmistress is a friendly one at least, and can tell us what to do." James snickered suddenly. "Imagine if it is Phineas Nigellus! I could never take him seriously as Headmaster." Teddy chuckled with him, though their laughs were interrupted by a voice from the door.

"I can assure you that I am not Phineas Nigellus." Teddy and James turned to look and stared in shock.

"Bloody hell, that's Albus Dumbledore" gasped James, completely surprised. He'd heard so much about Dumbledore from all the older members of his family he couldn't believe he was looking at him face to face. Dumbledore certainly looked as he had been described, from the hat to the beard to the stars dotting his robes.

"I am indeed," spoke Dumbledore, with a twinkle in his eye. "You seem to be informed of who I am, but I have no knowledge of who you two would be."

After a glance at James, Teddy responded to him. "Um, My name's Teddy, and this is my brother James. There's been an accident and we've arrived here. Though, I'm afraid we are a little confused. Could you tell us the time and date?

"Certainly. Today is the twentieth of September."

James looked at Teddy and then asked another question "And the year?"

Dumbledore's smile faded. "I see we have something we need to discuss."

Teddy and James settled into the chairs in the headmaster's office, Dumbledore sitting behind his desk, fingers clasped in front of him. "I believe I am not wrong in the assumption you are not from this era. Can you please explain how you arrived here?"

"Well, James here was exploring a locked and unused classroom and found some weird things in there, and called me to help him decide what to do." James through Teddy a nasty look while Teddy continued. "While in the classroom I bumped into an open cabinet and ended up breaking a time turner. We're from the year 2015."

"Then I'm afraid I must inform you that you have traveled back in time 20 years. It is currently 1994.

James turned to Teddy, "Mum and Dad are in school right now! This is crazy! We'll meet our teenage parents!"

Teddy however did not look as excited. He glared at James and spoke at a harsh whisper, "Do you remember what was happening during Dad's school years? This is not good." Teddy's enthusiasm dropped like a stone. Addressing Dumbledore, he continued. "Do you know if there is a way we can get back, or know what we should do? Neither of us are well versed in time travel."

"Time travel is very complicated, I'm afraid. There is a way for the both of you to return to your proper time, but it involves waiting for the necessary potion to be made to make a time turner go forward in time. It relies heavily on your knowledge of the future however, which means if either of you make any significant changes to the timeline there is no hope of going back. The potion is extremely complicated and can only be made by the department of Mysteries, taking up to six months to complete depending on the ingredients available. If you mess up the timeline or the potion is not made, both of you must adjust to being part of this time permanently."

James felt his stomach drop. "What do we do before the potion is made? I mean, I think we both want to return home, but what are we going to do for six bloody months?" Teddy stood up and started pacing, obviously anxious. He'd been so calm about the even so far, like he always was thought James, but now it seemed to be hitting him. And if Teddy was nervous, this was not good.

"I feel the only action for the two of you would be to take classes here at the school. Unfortunately, the two of you arrived in the middle of the fourth year defense against the dark arts class, but I think we can make the excuse of a long distance portkey gone wrong. Now I do not know who your parents are, but do you think we shall need disguises to stop you from being recognized by any other students?"

"I mean I take after my mum mostly, and since I'm male we should look different enough. Teddy here is a metamorphmagus, so he can make himself look mostly like anything, but luckily he was already matching me mostly when we arrived." He paused and directed a question to Teddy. "If it's 1994 what year would our parents be in after all?"

Teddy counted it out on his fingers, then groaned. "Dad's a fourth year like you and mum's a third. Merlin, this is going to be hard." He glared. "You better not mess up our chances of heading home."

Dumbledore looked on, observing their conversation with interest. James wondered if he was figuring out who they were, and who their parent's were"And what houses would you two be in?"

"Hufflepuff seventh year for me and James is a Gryffindor fourth year. I was Head Boy before we left, but I guess I'm not now." The next few minutes consisted of telling Dumbledore their schedules and receiving the key for the time traveling students account. James was surprised that that even existed! Teddy changed his appearance slightly to compliment James's and both ironed out their story, one that featured of both parents dying in the first war and the recent death of their reclusive uncle. They'd now be going by James and Teddy Black, a distant relation to their father's godfather. As they prepared to leave to their common rooms, Dumbledore spoke up again.

Oh, There is a chance you already knew this, given your status and all, but Hogwarts is hosting the Triwizard Tournament this year. Beauxbatons and Durmstrang are expected to arrive on October 13th, and the tournament will begin on Halloween."

"Oh crap!" swore Teddy. James looked surprised. Teddy rarely said anything even as mild as that. But then he soon caught on to what the older boy meant.

"That must mean…" started James before Teddy gave him a look.

"Remember, if you wish to go home, you must hide all details of the future and change nothing. I see the two of you know something about what is going to occur and I recommend that you stay out of it."

"Don't worry we will Headmaster," Teddy said as he pushed James out of the room. They stood on the winding staircase exiting Dumbledore's office, both wondering what would come out of this mess.

A/N Thanks for reading!


	3. Chapter 3

New chapter!

Teddy walked to the Hufflepuff common room, still dazed. He had split away from James after leaving the headmaster's office, deciding to meet in the room of requirement the next day. Teddy was worried about James, first and foremost because he was not known for thinking before talking, or being very good at lying. Everyone back home knew when James was trying to keep a secret, so who knows how he is going to manage this, the biggest secret of his life.. That wasn't the only reason for Teddy to be concerned however. He knew his brother had never encountered a problem that couldn't be fixed before, and he wondered how James would react in the long term to their current predicament. Even though Teddy was only three years older than James, Teddy's childhood had been much more uncertain due to his parent's deaths when he was young, leaving him a little more unfazed at events like this than James. Harry had officially adopted Teddy when he was seven, but before that he was never sure where he belonged and was shuffled between family and friends houses. Everyone cared for him and loved him, but it wasn't the same as having his birth parents or a steady home. But he was okay now, or at least he was before he got magically thrown away from everyone he knew and loved, and now was older than his adopted parents.

And even bigger than that, his birth parents were alive right now, doing who knows what. He didn't know if they had even met at this time, or what they were doing since the second war hadn't started. Harry told him as much as he could, but there were a lot of holes in the story, and he was in the middle of one of them. If he even got the chance to meet them, Teddy wasn't sure if he would. He'd lived his whole life without them, and didn't need to know what he missed now, especially because hopefully he would be heading home at the end of this year.

Entering the door to the common room Teddy tried his best to be inconspicuous. All he needed was to be the point of interest of everyone in Hufflepuff because they didn't recognize him. He edged his way to the door leading to the boy's dormitories, and slipped inside. Walking down the hallway, he read the labels on the doors and entered the one that said seventh year.

Glancing around the empty room, Teddy saw a barren bed in the back of the room, and assumed it was his. He sat down on the edge of the bed and sighed. Even though he had only woken up a few hours ago Teddy felt exhausted. Laying down, he quickly dozed off into a restless sleep. 

Harry sat with his friends in the Gryffindor common room, chatting about the upcoming Triwizard tournament. The other schools were set to arrive in only a few weeks, and many wondered who would enter. Slightly bored with the conversation, Harry let his mind drift and glanced at the portrait hole just in time to see someone new enter the room. It was a boy, maybe around Harry's age, with dark red hair and a slim build. It was rare to see students that Harry didn't recognize, especially ones around his age. He interrupted Hermione and Ron, pointing the stranger out to them.

"Do you recognize him?" Harry asked.

Hermione stared at the new boy quizzically. "No, I have no idea who he is. He must be new, but I can't say I've ever seen a new student around here before either."

"Could he be someone from one of the other schools arriving early?" Ron commented.

"I doubt that," retorted Hermione. "It's much too early. I've heard that all the schools make sure to do an impressive entry. Besides, he's much too young to compete, and neither Durmstrang or Beauxbatons are bringing the entire student population."

The three of them watched as the boy looked around the common room before he noticed Harry's eyes on him. His face turned red and he looked away before taking a few steps into the room, still near the wall.

"He looks somewhat familiar. Should we invite him over to talk to him?" This was a rare request from Harry as they harly ever opened up their circle, but something about this guy struck Harry. Hermione and Ron looked at each other and shrugged. That was enough of an invitation. He looked back at the newcomer and once eye contact was maintained, gestured for him to come over. The stranger looked scared, but made his way to them slowly. Why was the new bloke scared to join them, Harry wondered. Was he just shy?

Once he came near, Hermione spoke up. "Hello, we happened to looking over and realized that none of us recognized you. I'm Hermione Granger, and those two are Harry Potter and Ron Weasley. Are you new here?"

If possible, the guy looked even more worried. Harry was confused at the look on his face; it seemed like he was fascinated with them one second, but couldn't look at them the next.

"Er, yes I am new. My name is James Black." James tugged at his collar. "I just arrived, and will be here at Hogwarts at least for this year."

"Black, like Sirius…" Ron started.

"Same family, but I'm in a different branch, pretty far removed.' James was quick to clarify, and seemed to want to change the topic.

"Is there a reason you came here in the middle of the year?" asked Hermione.

"My uncle who was homeschooling me and my brother died, so we came here. Nothing too alarming, just old age."

Harry noticed that James didn't seem too upset about the death, just slightly uncomfortable. "Were you close to your uncle at all?"

"Yes, actually. My parents died because of Volde…" James coughed. "I, mean because of You-Know-Who, a long time ago, so me and my brother lived with him. But we were kind of expecting his death for a while, so I'm okay."

That comment got the wheels turning in Harry's head. Taking a closer look, Harry gasped. "Wait, you were the one that appeared in our Defense class! And the other must have been your brother. "

"Oh, the long distance portkey malfunctioned, and we ended up there instead of the headmaster's office. The trip got was so dizzy I guess I fainted. Luckily Teddy was there to help me."

"Blimey," spoke Ron. "And you thought the portkey to the world cup was bad, Harry." Harry chuckled, and so did James. That small comment seemed to relax James and conversation flowed much more naturally afterwards. 

Teddy's eyes snapped open at the sound of a door opening. A young man walked into the room distracted, but when glancing at Teddy from the corner of his eye, paused. Teddy sat up and waved weakly.

"Hey, I'm Teddy Black. I don't know if you were told yet, but I'm a new transfer student to Hogwarts."

The sandy haired student relaxed and came over. "My name's Cedric Diggory. Sorry to look so concerned, I didn't realize there was a new student. I hope however, I can help you get adjusted to Hogwarts."

Teddy smiled. "That would be nice. I kind of moved here unexpectedly, and was homeschooled before, so any help would be great!" He really hoped that this would assuage any awkward moments that might happen with him being from the future and all.

"And this is not even any ordinary year to join up at," said Cedric. "With the triwizard tournament, everything is a commotion, and there will be more students than ever here. Hogwarts was hard enough to get used to in a normal year, when I was the same age as all the other new people.

Teddy chuckled. "Yes, I certainly will have a short adjustment period. I really don't know much about the tournament.. I've heard there are three events and the schools that will be coming, but not much else. I don't plan on entering, of course. Just starting here during my last year and taking my NEWTS will be enough stress."

"I think I actually might enter," confessed Cedric. "I doubt I will get chosen, but if I do, it would be great for future opportunities and I do like the sound of a thousand gallons." Teddy started to agree before an awful thought rushed to his head. He knew that name sounded familiar.

"You said your name was Cedric, right?, asked Teddy, praying that he was wrong.

"That's correct," he responded. Teddy sat still, staring at Cedric, head whirling. He knew what was going to happen to this young man he was talking to. In less than a year Cedric would be dead. And if he did anything to prevent his death, he would never be able to return to his previous life.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

James headed to the room of requirement later that night, still slightly dazed. His dad seemed to like him here, and so did his aunt and uncle which was good. It was super weird though, to sit there across from them, and have them be the same age as him. Pictures didn't do the three of them justice. James hadn't realized just how small his father was when he was younger, or just how big Aunt Hermione's hair had been. He supposed that he should probably start calling them by their first names in his head, just so he didn't slip up. Honestly, that was his biggest concern so far, that he would accidentally tell someone that he was from the future, or that he knew something he shouldn't.. At least their first interaction had gone okay, and he didn't seem too weird, or at least not crazy enough for them to immediately ignore him. Ron had actually invited him to a game of chess, but James had to refuse to go meet Teddy.

Part of him wondered if it would be easier to not be friends with them, and to start hanging out with someone else in his house, or even some people from another house. But, he actually enjoyed talking to Harry, Ron, and Hermione, and not just because they were family. And who else was there? Neville might be more awkward, because he was James's teacher. And, James hadn't met anyone else in his dorm or the school yet, at least not that he knew of. James figured that he would just figure that out later. Who knows, maybe a decision would be made for him. But, so far the past didn't seem too bad. This would be easy.

James looked both ways in the corridor to check for people before heading to the small door on the seventh floor. Given that the door was there, Teddy must have already arrived. Going in, James flopped on the sofa that the room had recreated, one identical to the one in his living room, and looked up at Teddy, sitting across from his in a burgundy armchair. Teddy looked awful, his face was devoid of color, and he had his concentration face on. Apparently his first day hadn't gone as well, thought James.

"What happened," James asked, his small smile leaving his face. Teddy just groaned and buried his head in his hands. James waited patiently for Teddy to speak, knowing that something was definitely wrong. Teddy finally sighed and sat up.

"We know this year is the triwizard tournament, right?"

"Yes," replied James.

"And do you remember any details about the tournament?"

Well, I remember that Dad, err I mean Harry competed in it, and I'm pretty sure he won it too. And, there was something about Voldemort that happened at the end of it. It may have been when he came back, but I can't recall the details." James looked at Teddy. "You know that da.. Harry doesn't talk about it much. He says it's too hard."

Teddy waited patiently for James to grasp what he just said, eyebrow raised. It takes a minute, but then James connects his previous statement to their current predicament.

"Oh Merlin, this is awful. Could we have come at a worse time?"

Teddy shook his head. "And when I arrived in the Hufflepuff dorms, I met the worst of it. You see, I actually asked dad about the tournament a while ago, and Harry gave me a few more details, such as the fact that a boy died at the end of the tournament. And the one who died is the guy I was talking to in my room, Cedric Diggory."

The brothers sat in silence at the end of Teddy's statement, both in a slight state of shock. James hated this. He had thought that it was going to be fine, but now he was realizing that there was not a happy future ahead for many of those he would be interacting with daily. Cedric wasn't the only one who died. Many students were not alive in the future, and one of those was his Uncle, Fred. And the ones who weren't going to die still were going to suffer and be constantly worried about death, including his parents.

"There's a lot that's going to happen to the people of this time period," James spoke quietly. "I see why it would be tempting to change part of the future. Maybe… we could make it better. But, if we do…" He shook his head. "Man, this is such a mess! Why can't I just be a normal kid who doesn't discover old creepy rooms and have time turners falling on them!"

Teddy chuckled a little. "We both know that's completely impossible. You got too much of your parents in you. It's in your blood to follow their accidental trouble making legacy. But seriously, about the changing time thing, I think we should wait. I mean, it's September, and the first chance we have to go back is in…" He counted back on his hands. "March. We should just go in not changing anything and see what happens. If we want to change the timeline, let's decide later in the year." Teddy paused suddenly. "Do we even know the current timeline?"

James laughed. "Well first the champions come to the school, Harry gets chosen and then they do the first task. And then they do the second task. And…"

"You forgot about the Yule Ball. Merlin, that's going to be awkward if we go."

"Okay, the yule ball and then the second task, followed by the last task, and then Cedric dies and Voldemort comes back." James frowned. "We really don't know much details. Chances are we're going to change the timeline and not even realize it!"

Teddy nodded. "We both know Dad only talks about his past when he has to. I know a little bit more than that luckily. I'm pretty sure Moody isn't the real Moody, but I don't remember which death eater was pretending to be him. There was also something about the unforgivable curses as well. We know plenty about the Yule Ball, of course. Who knows how many times Hermione has argued with Ron about it. And the champions are Aunt Fleur, and the Quidditch player, Viktor something. The tasks are dragons, rescuing someone from the lake, and then the maze." James waited as Teddy tried his hardest to remember anything else. "I ally don't remember much else." Changing the subject, Teddy continued. "Did you have the chance to see any of our family yet? You're in the same common room as most of them, which also means that it's probably going to be harder for you to keep this secret because you'll have daily interactions with most of our family.

"I know, I know. Be careful… But, Harry, Ron and Hermione actually waved me over to talk when I arrived. I tried to not look creepy, but it was so weird, Teddy! Dad, is so small, and it's true, he looks so much like Al. Ron and Hermione do nothing but bicker, but unlike at home, there isn't the same lighthearted friendliness, they're actually fighting! All three of them are the same people, but there's something different about them, like they are not their true selves yet. Dad especially. Harry just seems so intense, and honestly seems less happy than he is back at home. Besides those three I didn't see anyone else I know from the future yet though."

"That's to be expected," Teddy replied. "We've only been conscious and in this time period for a few hours." He gave James a sharp look. "Now it's a little hypocritical for me to say this given that I freaked out when I realized who Cedric was, but you need to be careful about your reactions. I know that's not your strong point, but please try. And remember, the rest of the introductions are going to be worse." Looking concernedly at James, Teddy continued. "James, Fred's alive. Have you thought of that?"

Hearing that's James's mouth dropped open. The Weasley twins were complete here, and who knows how many others that he had heard stories about were also alive. He wondered just how many of his new classmate's graves he had been to.

"I'm worried about you, well, and myself of course. We're going to have a hard few months, no matter what." Teddy looked grave. "Either we leave here knowing our new friends will die, or we will never get to see our families in the same way again. And who knows what could happen if we change stuff."

James saw that Teddy was getting emotional again, and went to join him on the armchair. It hadn't fully hit him yet, but the circumstances had certainly hit Teddy. "Let's not stress too much. You know you always like to have a plan, but I don't think that's really possible. We should just follow the flow and not get too bent out of shape about anything." James felt like for once he may have actually given good advice, and Teddy soon snapped out of his funk.

"Good plan. We should probably get back to our dorm rooms before we get in trouble our first day. Remember," he warned James, "we are trying not to draw attention to ourselves, hear me?" With a nod from James the two exited the room of requirement and went back to the common rooms, their fears still prominent in their minds.

A/N I'm trying to write longer, fuller chapters, but it's hard, so we'll get there eventually.


	5. Chapter 5

Cedric was a little concerned. The new boy, Teddy was a little weird, and Cedric wasn't sure how to act around him. In the middle of their first conversation he seemed to just shut down, for no reason at all, and Cedric hadn't seen him the rest of the day. In the days since, Teddy had been friendly, but had made no move to initiate any social contact with him, or anyone else in Hufflepuff. Cedric had been watching Teddy off and on, and he seemed to be nice; he was kind to all those near him and very polite. He was already standing out in class for his intelligence as well, though whenever someone commented on it, Teddy always downplayed his abilities and seemed very uncomfortable. The only time he opened up, and seemed relaxed was when he was with his brother. The two of them must have been inseparable before Hogwarts, despite the age difference. As far as Cedric could see, Teddy was about as nice and calm as one could get, but one thing ruined that picture: his first defense class.

Two days after Teddy had arrived, the seventh year Hufflepuffs had defense against the dark arts with Professor Moody. Cedric thought Teddy looked a little anxious before the lesson began, which was different from how he was with the rest of the teachers. Class started normally enough, with the exception of Moody's comments on Teddy's unusual arrival to the school. But then Moody announced the lesson for the day; that everyone would be put under the imperius curse and Teddy immediately freaked out.

To be fair, most of the combined Hufflepuff - Slytherin class was not very happy about the idea, but Teddy seemed to have a mental breakdown. He didn't make a scene, even just a few days with him had Cedric sure that such a thing was impossible, but Teddy turned white and one could see his heart rate visibly increasing. The whole class quieted as Teddy put his hand in the air, arm shaking slightly.

"Excuse me Professor, but what is the motivation for this… lesson, and why do you feel that it is necessary or recommendable to do this?"

"It's CONSTANT VIGILANCE! You always need to be prepared, and if being put under the imperius curse in a controlled environment is enough to make you be careful then so be it. Moody seemed to growl out this response, staring down Teddy. "Now if you've got a problem with that…"

Teddy stared back at Professor Moody, before sharply shaking his head no, still looking furious. Moody continued with his intro, listing what would occur. Cedric zoned out slightly, slightly worried himself. Everyone hated being embarrassed, and he was no exception. And, while their defense professors had never been quite adequate, he knew that for something to be considered absolutely unforgivable, it must be completely awful. There were a lot of completely terrible spells with no redeeming qualities that were not listed as such.

"Mr. DIGGORY, Moody growled out, and Cedric jumped to attention. "You're first." Cedric walked to the front of the classroom, a little reluctant. He waited for Professor Moody to begin, anxious.

"Imperio."

He was floating, with no worries or cares. Something told him that he should really frog hop over to Marcus Flint, and Cedric could think of no reason that he wouldn't want to do it. Once he got there Cedric just stared straight ahead. He had accomplished his task, and there was nothing left to do until something told him to do something else.

And suddenly, he was back in the real world. Cedric tried to think back on what had just occurred but the only memory left was of a pleasant silence. He looked questioningly at Professor Moody, who only responded with a lifted eyebrow and a smirk. Was that really what the imperious felt like? He made his way back to his seat almost normally, trying to piece together what had occurred. The experience seemed to have been nice when he was under it, but this lack of memory was disconcerting. Cedric could see how this could be used for nefarious purposes.

One by one the rest of the class went up. Flint, Summers, Jackson, his friend Anna, and then Teddy. Teddy was stoic as the curse was placed on, and unlike all the other classmates remained that way. His expression looked pain filled, like he was concentrating too hard. Teddy's feed dragged on the floor as he walked over to Moody's desk, before abruptly halting. He screwed up his face and shouted NO!, eyes snapping into awareness.

Moody lowered his wand and chuckled meanly. "Guess I underestimated you," he said looking Teddy up and down, sending Teddy back to his seat. "Now, class, that is the textbook example of breaking the imperius curse. Now, if I had things my way, we would be working all year until every last one of you could master it. But, someone has informed me that we have to cover other topics, so that will not be occurring. MONGSTEN!" he shouted suddenly, calling out the next person in line.

Cedric looked at Teddy, who was still tense. "You okay?" he whispered. Teddy thought about it for a second then simply shook his head no, the first time Cedric had seen Teddy admit to not being fine. "Is there anything I can do?"

"After," Teddy whispered back. Cedric smiled a little. Maybe not occurring under the best circumstance, but finally he would be able to talk to Teddy.

By dinner the last defense class had occurred and the school was bustling with gossip. Out of all the students fourth year and up, only three had managed to repel the imperius curse; Harry Potter, Teddy, and Teddy's brother, James. No one was too surprised about Harry, but questions started swirling about the two brothers who had just arrived and who had both managed to resist the curse. Bringing on even more rumors was the fact that James was hanging out with Harry's group of friends, the three known to be secretive and honestly, a little unfriendly to those who interrupted them. And James had managed to join them in only a few days. Teddy was also getting more looks too though, and now Cedric was not the only one who was being slightly stalker-like.

But Cedric was happy to know that he was the only one who was actually able to talk to Teddy. After Defense, the two had headed back to their dorm, where Teddy spilled a few facts about his family. How his dad was able to resist the imperius, and how other family members had been hit with it before You-Know-Who was vanquished. Teddy was pretty vague with the information, but it was enough to give Cedric the idea that his family had been completely shattered in the war, and that they had picked up the pieces as best as they could, but the picture would never be complete.

James was trying his best. Less than a week in and he had almost messed up so many times. First was the time that he called Harry dad when waking up, but luckily he could pass that off as morning confusion. Then there was when the trio introduced him to the marauder's map and he showed no signs of surprise. All he could think was how lucky he was that his name showed up as James Black, because that's how Dumbledore put his name in the Hogwart's registry. James figured he would just look extra shocked if they ever showed him the invisibility cloak or something like that. And lastly, just this morning, James blurted out the fact that Hermione hated scrambled eggs, something he shouldn't have known yet. Merlin, it's hard to talk to people you already know so much about.

James wished that his arrival had been more inconspicuous, but between his entrance, hanging out with Ron, Hermione, and Harry, and being able to throw off the imperius, everyone seemed to know his name. Because of Harry, everyone had known who he was back home, and he had been hoping for some change to that, but no such luck. However, it did allow him to connect a little to Harry. James had briefly mentioned how weird it was, and Harry nodded with a knowing look.

James had been hanging out with those three for most of the time. They didn't seem to mind his presence which was interesting. In a conversation with Dean, someone he had met a handful of times in the future, James learned that they tolerated people around sometimes, but most of the time liked to be alone together. But, they liked James apparently, often calling him over from across the room to join their conversations. None were too deep; James had "learned" a little about the three's adventures in the first few years, but not more than what seemed to be common knowledge. Instead they talked about schoolwork, about quidditch, and to a lesser extent, James's past. Hermione especially was fascinated about his schooling, and was putting James's lying abilities to the test.

But today's conversation revolved around a letter from someone named Snuffles, and the trio were talking among themselves, trying to be subtle. James remembered his dad telling him a little about Sirius's animagus form, and he had always thought his dad was exaggerating, but maybe he would have the chance to see if Snuffle's size was true. For now however, he had to pretend to ignore them and work on homework as they discussed the topic in whispers. He checked his watch, noting that it was ten thirty, and started packing up his things. James had gotten the vibe that Harry, Ron and Hermione wanted to be alone, and it was late enough that he could make his excuses without making things awkward. James made his goodbyes and headed up to his dorm room, planning to work up there.

An hour or so later, James was ready for bed and Ron and Harry had finally arrived. Ron dashed straight to the bathroom, but Harry stopped James as he moved to his bed.

"Sorry, we haven't been including you in everything." He sighed. "There's just a lot of stuff that I don't feel comfortable sharing with you; I feel bad keeping stuff from you, but most of it is just too personal. I know that means it is awkward for you, but I… em, enjoy having you around and talking, and I hope I'm able tell you about some of this in the future, but it's just too soon." He laughed uncomfortably. "I mean, we've only known you what, a week? You just, somehow feel right in our group, like we were missing something, and I hope even if I can't tell you some stuff, you'll still be our friend."

Harry looked so awkward saying his speech that James instantly smiled and nodded. "I understand. Believe me, there's plenty of stuff I can't tell you about yet either. But, you're right, I really like hanging out with you guys, and I know we will get to that point eventually."

Harry broke into a tentative smile, which made James even happier. Harry always seemed a little unhappy and stressed, so it was good to see him smile. The encounter seemed to help James as well. One always wonders if they would be friends with themselves, or with their parents, or some other important person in their life if things were different. And James could definitively say yes, he would be. At least with his dad. James had only seen Ginny a handful of times, and hadn't spoken a word. In fact, considering the two got married, it was surprising how little Harry and Ginny interacted. James didn't dwell on it much though; he had bigger problems to deal with. He was legitimately friends with his future parent, aunt, and uncle, and would have to decide whether his new friends were worth abandoning his past.

A/N

You always hear about how stressful college is, and it's just as stressful as they say.

Also, because I'm in college, I don't have copies of HP on me, so I hope I'm remembering everything accurately. Luckily there's google.

Thanks for reading


	6. Chapter 6

Teddy lay exhausted on a sofa in the room of requirement, James mirroring his pose from across the room. It was now a few weeks since they arrived in the past, and the two were mostly adjusted. They knew their new schedules, had friends and study partners, and the loss of the life they knew was a little less. Most importantly, neither of them had ruined anything yet, which was a miracle in itself.

But, starting tomorrow, everything was about to get challenging, as tomorrow was Halloween, when Harry would be chosen as a champion. The two schools had arrived that evening, which meant James and Teddy had to plan what to do next.

"So let's go through this again. Harry's name is going to come out of the goblet, and no one is going to believe that he didn't put it in, and I am supposed to do what? I can't ignore him, that might change things, but I also can't defend him, in case that changes the timeline. Uhhg," James whined. Teddy knew James, and staying neutral was not a strong point of his; his sense of righteousness too strong.

"I guess you can support him, but just don't be too overt, or obvious about it. Don't go singing his praises or trying to convince others, just remain his friend. Is that fair?" Teddy hoped this compromise would appease James. Not changing the future was awful, in Teddy's opinion. There was no room for natural reactions or the spontaneity that comes from normal conversation. Everything had to be planned out in order to minimize their impact, and unfortunately the easiest way not to change anything was to be as bland and impartial as possible, something that was almost impossible for both boys to do. Teddy's only consolation was that everyone seemed to be happy in the future, but of course that always got him thinking about Cedric.

Teddy was getting pretty close to Cedric; they shared the same electives of runes and arithmancy, and often studied together. Their personalities complemented each other, both mild tempered and caring, but very different in terms of their interests and coping strategies, which made them work well together. Cedric was planning for a career in the ministry; hoping to make an impact in the inequalities in the wizarding world, (which was very Hermione like, in Teddy's opinion), and had so many goals, that Teddy couldn't even imagine what the wizarding world would have been like in the future if Cedric had lived. And knowing that Cedric could, and that he was the one responsible for that choice was tearing him up.

"Do you know how easier it would be if we just changed the future? This is exhausting." James was even more frustrated than Teddy had thought if he was suggesting they not return. And, at this moment, Teddy couldn't even think of a good counter argument, because he was thinking the same thing.

"I know how you feel. I just think we'll regret it if we decide right now. Give it a little longer and we'll see." Teddy yawned and then sat up. "Moving on, let's enjoy as much of the moment as we can. What did you think of the other schools?"

James was suddenly alert. "I thought Dad was exaggerating when he told us about their arrival, but he wasn't! That was insane. It was so weird to see Victor and Fleur, I mean, that's our aunt that everyone's drooling over, at least when they're not freaking out over Victor, who is SO famous. I guess I didn't realize the person who comes over once in a while to play quidditch with us was just that well known."

Teddy chuckled. "Yeah, we have to remember that his first world cup was only a few months ago. And, at least we are lucky that we don't get pulled into Fleur's allure because that would be disgusting." James nodded rapidly, before smiling wickedly.

"Well someone seemed pretty allured with you," said James winking. "Don't think I didn't notice that Durmstrang girl who smiled and waved at you when you were leaving the hall." Teddy groaned, his head in his hands.

"Not necessary, James. You above all know I can't be in a relationship right now." James's smile grew even bigger.

"But that doesn't stop me from teasing you about it. You may not of noticed but I certainly saw her looking over at you quite frequently during the feast. She's even good looking, you know; dark hair, a little tan, tall…"

"Believe me, I know," Teddy confessed, to James's amusement. "Yet, she's still a good twenty years older than me, and I am not going to crush some girl's heart by leaving suddenly and disappearing of the face of the planet."

"What makes you think she'd ever love you? As your brother, I must admit your current look is quite dashing-"

"I look like you," said Teddy dryly.

"Exactly. You look quite nice, but to already assume she would fall for you? Cocky." James looked like he was having the time of his life, and was nowhere near stopping, much to Teddy's dismay. "She's never even spoken to you and we both know your personality would certainly scare her off. I mean..."

"James. James, enough. You do remember there is plenty that I could tease you about too. What if I told you that I saw Hermione, or even Ginny looking at you lovingly?" Teddy's interruption worked, as James's enthusiasm was instantly replaced with disgust.

"Ugh, gross! I hadn't even thought of that…" He turned towards Teddy. "Tell me this is a joke! At least I was teasing you about someone we don't know in the future!"

Teddy laughed and shook his head. "I have noticed no signs of attraction to you from anyone, much less anyone in our family." James looked relieved, then insulted as he comprehended what Teddy had said. "That's the last one, I swear," said Teddy quickly, not wanting to get into another tizzy. "We really should head to bed. Curfew started a few minutes ago, and we probably shouldn't be caught…. Merlin, I miss having our own invisibility cloak. Everything was much simpler."

And with that comment the two boy snuck back to their dormitories, to sit and stare at their homework, quill down, reflecting on what the future held.

James woke up late that Saturday morning after sleeping restlessly, but he still was awake before Ron and Harry; who both tended to sleep in, but for very different reasons. It was interesting for James to compare the teenage versions of the two to their adult counterparts, and while they were very different, some things never changed. James could remember the antics he and his cousins would use to wake Uncle Ron when they all slept over at his house because he was such a deep sleeper. Harry on the other hand, was a restless sleeper even now, and often slept in simply because he had woken up several times throughout the night, though the nightmares that haunted his adult self did not seem to be as bad.

Getting out of bed, James took his time in getting ready for the day. His wavy hair was still mostly wet as he walked down to the common room. Hermoine was already up, of course, and was reading a book on a couch, so he waited for her to pick up her stuff and join him. They headed down to breakfast, Hermione rambling about the book on wards she was reading, and James half listening. Everything was still normal.

When they entered the hall, however, he was snapped back into the present, as the goblet of fire was set prominently at the front of the hall, a handful of upper year Ravenclaws gathered around watching members of their group enter their names. James turned to head to the Gryffindor table, but Hermione didn't follow, eyes fixed on the blue flames.

"Hermione," James groaned, pulling her over to the Gryffindor table. She went along with him, still looking at the cup, but once seated turned her gaze over to James.

"You really don't seem enthusiastic about this tournament do you?" James gulped and tried to thing of a response, but luckily Hermione kept on talking. "Everyone else seems to be full of the idea of glory and school pride; even Harry likes the idea of it, though he would never admit it. You however, have no interest in discussing it, especially as the tournament has gotten closer, and, forget indifference, I almost wonder if you hate it!" Hermione said all that very fast, but she didn't seem judgmental, only curious. And, she was addressing it away from the others, like Ron, who would have gotten angry at him for admitting it. So, instead of denying, James told something that sounded like the truth.

"I'm just a little worried about the danger," he confessed. "I know you know how high the death toll has been, and I just don't think the concept of eternal glory is worth that. And, I wonder how long the excitement around it will last after the tournament anyways, or will the winner just be another name in a history book no one reads." James could tell that Hermione wasn't satisfied with his answer yet, so he added the icing on the cake. "Personally too, there've been people I knew, or should have known who have gotten injured or died in similar ways, in things where people have promised them they'd be safe." Not one hundred percent true, but close enough James figured. If he felt bad everytime he lied or bended he truth, he would spend all day crying in a corner.

Hermione simply nodded in response, and changed the topic to a safer subject for the remainder of breakfast. As they left the great hall, James and Hermione split up, Hermione to the library, and James to go back to the tower. But, when turning a corner, James bumped into another person, and fell on the ground. He looked up, rubbing his head, to the cold dark eyes of Professor Snape.

James still hadn't gotten over the first time he had met Snape, in potions during his first week back in time, and he was pretty sure Snape hadn't forgot him. James was shocked when Snape first entered the room, and had thought, This is who my brother is named after? While they knew from the portraits and stories that Snape had been a real git for most of his life, nothing had prepared him from the absolute terror Snape commanded his classroom with, so very different from the calm of Professor Blythe. And James had instantly joined Harry in the ranks of most hated, due in part by his resemblance to Lily Evans, which he knew only Snape would pick up on, and because he dared to ask several questions about the clarity of his instruction and its relevance.

Unlike Harry and Ron however, James was good at potions; it wasn't his favorite subject, but after his Dad's rough experience, his dad had made sure he knew the importance of potion making and that he was still required to get good grades in the class. Having a decent professor had also helped. Being able to brew a good potion did not warm Snape up to him however; it only seemed to make the hatred more pronounced, like James was mocking Snape by being good at potions. James dealt with it fine, no matter the anger Snape felt for him, James still got good marks, because even Snape couldn't take too many points off a perfect potion or essay. He was only glad Teddy didn't have to take the class; the future version of Hogwarts was much more flexible in schedule, so Teddy had finished his potions NEWT in his sixth year, and Teddy would have been more offended by Snape's behavior as he had been quite friendly with the future Snape's portrait.

But, as James lay on the ground beneath a towering Snape, all he could think was how this was the perfect opportunity for Snape to give him the detention he'd been wanting to give James since he started.

"I'm so sorry Sir," James said quickly, while trying to stand up. "I know I should have looked where I was going." Snape paused for a second, words at the tip of his tongue, but then only snarled and walked past him, James sighing in relief. He headed back to Gryffindor tower as carefully as he could, and stayed there, not pushing his good luck.

James's good luck was destined to be short however, because that evening was the Halloween feast, when the triwizard champions were to be decided. He sat down in the great hall once again, this time between Harry and Dean, and tried to look as enthusiastic as everyone else in the hall. James ate very little, then questioned himself on why he was so nervous. He already knew the outcome, and already knew what he had to do, so why was he freaking out? But James wasn't logical, so despite the reasonableness of that argument, he still couldn't sit still throughout dinner.

But soon the plate were cleared, and the goblet unveiled, and, one by one, names were sent shooting out of the flames. First Krum, then Delacour, then Diggory. James saw his brother give Cedric a hug as he stood up and strode out of the hall to immense cheering. Then finally, Potter was drawn, the hall went silent, and all eyes were on the boy sitting next to him, a small boy with shaking hands and a shocked face. And he and Hermione had to lift Harry to his feet to send him to the door of the champions, and to yet another year of pain.

The rest of the school could not hold the silence of that moment, and Sprout quickly dismissed the students back to their rooms, all chatting with their friends about the unexpected champion. And James found Teddy's eyes, and they stood still, reassuring each other, before they were pushed into the crowd.

 **A/N: How do Hogwarts students, and for that matter, anyone before 2005 plan anything or communicate without texting? Trying to write communication without cell phones is annoying.**

 **Hope you enjoyed, and feel free to review!**


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